Iceland considers permanent ban on commercial whaling

The Icelandic government is considering a permanent ban on commercial whaling and plans to present a legislative proposal in February. The government, which holds a parliamentary majority, is reviewing various options to update current whaling laws, with a specific focus on a total prohibition.

If the ban is implemented, Norway and Japan would remain the only two countries in the world continuing commercial whaling. Currently, Iceland, Norway, and Japan are the primary nations operating outside the international moratorium established in 1986. While Norway resumed whaling in 1993 and Iceland in 2006, Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in 2019 to resume hunting in its own waters.

During the current hunting season, which runs from June to late September, 80 fin whales have been captured as of September 9, according to the organization Humane World for Animals. The annual quota allows for the killing of 150 fin whales, a species classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The industry has faced years of protests from animal rights activists and international figures.